Location and landscape
Reichshalde is a named wine-growing site between Maulbronn and Knittlingen in Baden-Württemberg. It lies to the west of the former boundary of the Maulbronn monastery area between the Elfinger Hof and Knittlingen. The wine-growing site extends along a spur projecting to the south-west north of the Elfinger Hof; above the vineyard there is the nearby Schanze.
Climate and geology
The location of Knittlingen benefits from the mild climate of the Upper Rhine Valley, which extends to the east as far as the heights of the Stromberg. A geological exposure at the Schanze and Reichshalde shows the transition from gypsum Keuper to reed sandstone.
History and winegrowing
Reichshalde is a legally recognised designation for a wine-growing site in the winegrowing region of Württemberg and was added in 1972 to the Württemberg Winegrowing Site Register. Previously, the wine-growing site was known as Rosshalde. A Maulbronn inventory book from 1575 and Kieser’s forest map from the years 1680/1687 document a vineyard area of 16 morgens there between the Elfinger Hof and Knittlingen. A document from Pope Alexander IV from 1259, according to the state office for monument preservation, mentions the Knittlingen wine-growing sites Bonnenberg and Reichshalde.
Grape variety and processing
Riesling is documented with the exact description by the product name Knittlinger Reichshalde Riesling trocken for a dry sparkling wine. The grapes harvested in the local vineyards are delivered mainly for pressing to the Württembergische Weingärtner-Zentralgenossenschaft in Oberderdingen and then transported to the central facility in Möglingen.
